An elderly woman died from burn injuries caused by sitting too close to an electric fire.

An inquest at Colchester Coroner's Court heard 92-year-old Evelyn Reach, of Captains Road in West Mersea, had a history of ill health.

She had been looked after by her daughter, Mary Jones, since she had a stroke and then a nervous breakdown.

Mrs Jones said she took her mother out for a walk on November 21, and on returning put her in front of an electric fire, turned down low.

"When I went back to her about an hour later the skin on her legs was red and peeling off," she said.

After three weeks and several attempts at reducing the redness and sores Mrs Jones took her mother to Colchester General Hospital where she died from the wounds ten days later.

Essex Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray said the post-mortem examination revealed Mrs Reach's wounds had become gangrenous. She recorded a verdict of accidental death.

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